Reverence and Joy: New Orleans Lays Dr. John to Rest the Way Only New Orleans Can
New Orleans said its final goodbyes to one of the city’s most iconic figures on Saturday with formal services and a massive second line commemorating the storied life of Dr. John, who died on June 7 of a heart attack at age 77.
Hundreds paid their respects at a public visitation at the Orpheum Theater in downtown New Orleans, followed by a private invitation-only memorial service attending by family, friends, local dignitaries, and some of the city’s most notable musicians. A few of those celebrating Dr. John’s life in word and song included New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and festival producer Quint Davis, as well as acclaimed local musicians and artists Jon Cleary, Irma Thomas, Cyril Neville, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, John “Papa” Gros, Shannon McNally, Deacon John and Robert Daborn.
After the private service, Dr. John’s casket was loaded into a horse-drawn carriage trailed by family, friends and a second line attended by thousands, sending the Good Doctor off in a joyous celebration of a life well lived. The Kinfolk Brass Band led the parade with a number of Mardi Gras Indians in full-feathered regalia strutting close behind.
Propelled by the New Birth Brass Band and countless volunteer musicians, a sea of mourners, admirers, fans (this writer among them), onlookers and the curious pranced down the streets in the sweltering Louisiana summer heat, which reached triple digits on the heat index this day. A sea of parasols and umbrellas, many festooned in feathers, beads and all manner of decoration, covered a sweaty colorful cast of characters as they made their way to the historic St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 where they would make their final farewells.
Born Malcom John Rebennack, Jr., in New Orleans’ third ward, Dr. John was the embodiment of the city he loved. Big, beautiful, bawdy, unrestrained, unpredictable, mystical, mysterious, dangerous, confounding and original, Dr. John expertly navigated the ether between joy and pain imbuing his music with the stories of the city that never left him. You can read more about Dr. John’s storied life here in MusicFestNews editor and resident music historian Scott Hopkins’ article commemorating John’s life and death.
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To say they broke the mold when they made Mac Rebennack is a gross understatement. He spoke and sang in a language and style all his own, philosophizing and pondering the absurdities of everyday life in his unforgettable raspy, wiseguy, swampy, voodoo king voice. He leaves behind a priceless musical legacy that has influenced modern musicians from The Rolling Stones to The Black Keys and that introduced the world to a uniquely New Orleans sound and culture. A tireless performer and musician until nearly the very end, Dr. John completed one final album, which will be released posthumously and includes duets with Ricki Lee Jones, Ivan Neville and Willie Nelson. A title and a release date have yet to be chosen, but the record will be his 31st studio album.
Saturday’s second line honoring Dr. John was the second one in a little over a week, the first organized by trumpeter Kermit Ruffins the day after John’s death. Thousands strutted down the streets of Treme then, just as they did Saturday, with no room in their full hearts for sadness – something Irma Thomas noted in her remarks to mourners Saturday when she said, “We don’t do pity parties. We don’t send our folks off in sadness. We send them off in happiness.”
And from somewhere in the sweaty haze rippling of the streets, we could hear the Good Doctor say,
“You got dat right.”
